Science & Activism Tour

Every Saturday, the Science History Institute’s museum offers drop-in tours that give visitors the opportunity to hear the stories behind our objects.

Join our museum educators this Saturday to explore the vital impacts made by engaged communities on scientific discovery, environmental justice, and public health. 

What does science look like when it leaves the lab and is put to work in local communities? On this tour, we will explore how activists use scientific advances to promote positive change. Stories include the influential book Silent Spring and the rise of the environmentalist movement, the AIDS crisis and the fight for patient-centric healthcare, the Black Panthers’ lead role in community testing for sickle-cell anemia, and other examples of how neighborhood coalitions have led the movement to hold government and industry accountable for environmental harm.

Together we will explore how activists and scientists have been allies in the past and consider what that collaboration might look like in the future.

Our longer tours are designed to offer visitors a comprehensive exploration of artifacts in our collection with unique stories. These tours last approximately 50 minutes and provide a deeper understanding of how science history and the present day are linked.

Know Before You Go:

• Drop-in tours are free and reservations are not required
• Space is limited to 20 participants
• Participation is first-come, first-served
• The recommended age for our tours is 13 years old and up
• Guests will be standing for most of the tour; limited bench seating and portable folding stools are available to the public 
• Please contact us at museum@sciencehistory.org if you have further accessibility concerns you would like to discuss

Featured image: Marine biologist Rachel Carson (right), who is featured in our Science & Activism Tour, conducts research with wildlife artist Bob Hines in the Florida Keys, ca. 1955. Courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.